RFID DESIGN, SIMULATION, AND IMPLEMENTATION
Faculty Paper
Multidisciplinary Research
Akram Abu-aisheh1, Omar Hassan2, and A. Y. Al-Zoubi2
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Hartford, USA
2
Department of Communication, Princes Sumaya University of Technology, Jordan
abuaisheh@hartford.edu
Abstract
Manufactures, retailers, and government agencies are tracking, securing and managing
supplies from the time they are raw materials through the entire life of the product. They
commonly use Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) to identify pallets, containers,
vehicles, tools and other assets, monitor inventory and route materials through production
process. RFID technology can make internal process more efficient and improve supply
chain responsiveness. Most companies that adopt RFID technology reduce supply chain
costs and grew revenue because of the added visibility RFID provided.
RFID technology is not a new technology, but it is being used in new ways by different
industries, driven by technological advances and decreased costs. Once used in World
War II to identify friendly aircrafts, RFID is now used by both the public and private
sectors, from hospitals to supermarkets and even car manufacturers. This paper presents
RFID system design, simulation, and implementation.
Introduction
RFID systems include tags, readers, and software to process the data. There are many
publications covering these topics including the famous RFID Journal [1]. Tags are
usually applied to items to be scanned. Readers can be unattended standalone units for
monitoring a dock door or conveyor line. These readers are integrated with a mobile
computer. The reader sends out a radio signal that is received by all tags in the RF field
tuned to that frequency.
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education
Tags receive the signal via their antennas and respond by transmitting their stored data.
Tags can hold serial numbers, activity history, or other data. The read/write device
receives the tag signal via its antenna, decodes it and transfers the data to the computer
system through a cable or wireless connection.
RFID Tags
RFID tag are small electronic devices that consist of a small chip and an antenna. The chip
typically is capable of carrying some kind of information depending on applications. Tags
are usually applied to items, often as part of an adhesive bar-code label. Tags receive the
signal via their antennas and respond by transmitting their stored data. RFID tags can be
as small as a grain of rice and as large as a brick, or thin and flexible enough to be
embedded within a adhesive label. They can vary in performance depending on the
application, including read/write ability, memory and power requirements. The paper
presents RFID design and simulation and two different circuit implementation strategies.
RFID tags serves the same purpose as a bar code or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit
card or ATM card; it provides a unique identifier for that object. RFID tags can hold
multiple types of data including serial numbers, configuration instruction, activity history
or even temperature and other data provided by sensors. The read/write device receives
the tag signal via its antenna, decodes it and transfers the data to the computer system
through a cable or wireless connection. Tags can be as small as a grain of rice and as
large as a brick, or thin and flexible enough to be embedded within a adhesive label.
They can vary in performance depending on the application, including read/write ability,
memory and power requirements. There are three types of RFID tags. These types are
differentiated by how they communicate and how that communication is initiated
1- Passive tags which have no onboard power and do not initiate communication. A
reader is needed to send electromagnetic waves that couple with the antenna on the
tag.
2- Semi-passive tags that do not initiate communication with readers but they DO
have batteries. This onboard power if often used to drive circuitry on the chip which
stores information such as ambient temperature.
3- Active tags that can initiate communication and have onboard power. These tags
have the longest range of all three types of tags, able to communicate 100 or more
feet.
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education
RFID Tag Design
An RFID tag was designed, simulated and implemented for this study. The main blocks
in the system designed and implemented here are an oscillator, a pulse source, and an
analog switch.
1- Oscillator:
A Colpitts oscillator is an electronic oscillator which uses a combination of inductance
with capacitance for frequency determination. Colpitts oscillators are LC oscillator that
has an oscillation frequency given by:
A Colpitts oscillator was used in the design because it is fairly stable, easy to tune, and
has wide range of Frequencies
2- Pulse Source:
A 555 timer is an electronic circuit that is available is a solid state chip. The duty cycle
of the timer output can range from 55%-95%. The 555 timer oscillation frequency is
given by:
f = 1.44 / ( (R1+R2+R2) * C)
3- Analog Switch:
The analog switch used in the RFID tag consists of a P channel JFET, active LOW. The
switch turns on when the timer output is LOW and passes the carrier signal to the ASK
output.
RFID Tag Circuit Simulation
The RFID tag consisting of the oscillator, pulse source and analog switch was simulated
using Multisim software. The complete Multisim circuit of the RFID tag is given in
Figure 1 while the output signal of the simulated circuit is given in Figure 2.
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education
VCC
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Figure1: The complete Multisim circuit of the RFID tag
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education
50%
0
T
Figure 2: RFID tag simulated circuit output signal.
RFID Readers
Readers can be unattended standalone units for monitoring a dock door or conveyor line.
These readers are integrated with a mobile computer handheld or forklift use or
incorporated into bar-code printers. The reader sends out a radio signal that is received
by all tags in the RF field tuned to that frequency.
RFID Reader Design and Simulation
An RFID Reader was designed, simulated and implemented for this study. The main
blocks in the reader designed and implemented here are a band pass filter, 2 stage
amplifier, a half-wave rectifier, a low pass filter, and a comparator.
1- 125KHz Band-Pass Filter:
A 2-pole band pass filter was designed to asses the 125 kHz signal coming from the
RFID tag and eject signals or noises coming from other sources that fall outside the pass
band. The filter was designed to have high Q filter with narrow bandwidth
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education
Figure 3: 125 KHz Active Band Pass Filter simulated circuit output signal.
2- 2-Stage Amplifier:
A 2-stage amplifier, figure4, was designed to increases the very small from the RFID tag
to a usable level. This amplifier takes the output of the BPF and amplifies to 8.82Vp-p.
Figure 4: 2 stage amplifier simulated circuit output signal.
3- Half-wave rectifier
A half-wave rectifier was used to allow only the positive portion of the AC signal tp go
through the circuit. The input and output of the rectifier are given in figure 5.
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education
Figure 5: half-wave Rectifier simulated circuit input and output signals.
4- Low Pass Filter (22kHz)
A two pole Low pass filter was designed with a Butterworth response. The filter output is
given in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Low Pass Filer simulated circuit output signal.
5- Comparator
The comparator circuit compares the input level coming from the LPF to a reference
voltage. Then, If input <Vref output 0, and if input >Vref output 1. So, the comparator
circuit restores the digital signal to a usable stream of digital data, 0’s and 1’s
RFID Implementation and Testing Using a Programmable Analog Module (PAM)
The RFID circuit was implemented on a bread. The complete RFID circuit is given in
figure 7. Then, the RFID circuit was tested and the test results are given in figure 8.
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education
Figure 7: RFID Physical Board Layout.
Figure 8: RFID Physical Board Testing Results.
RFID Implementation and Testing Using a Programmable Analog Module (PAM)
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education
The complete RFID circuit, given in figure 7, was implemented using a programmable
analog module (PAM) [2] using the AnadigmDesigner2 software [3].
A PAM, given in figure 9, is an integrated device that is configurable analog blocks
(CAB) that can be connected by interconnects between blocks. PAMs can operate in two
modes:
1- Discrete –time devices possess a system sample clock (sample input through
sample and hold circuit composed by semiconductor switch and capacitor)
2- Continuous-time devices arrays of transistor and op-amps connected through
configurable switches
The uses of PAMs can simplify analog design and provide design adaptation using
software. It also adds new feature and capabilities such as consolidation of components
and reduction of board space and it provides designers with dynamic design optimization
capabilities. A PAM circuit board is given in figure8. It includes a clock, power
supplies, connectors and input & output buffers, EEPROM, and Serial Port
Figure 9: PAM Physical Board Layout.
AnadigmDesigner2 Software
The AnadigmDesigner2 (AD2) Software is used to control the PAM module. This
software is available for free and it is easy to use using drag and drop GUI.
AnadigmDesigner2 software is built-in SPICE simulator, and it has built-in SG and
oscilloscope. The blocks of any design using Designer2 are called CAMs which are
software functions accessed by icons. The AD2 software includes a large library of
standard functions. Figure 10 shows the RFID circuit in implemented using the AD2
software, and figure 11 gives the oscilloscope output for the test points in figure 10.
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education
Figure 10: RFID Circuit in AnadigmDesigner2 Software
Figure 11: RFID Circuit in AnadigmDesigner2 Oscilloscope Output
Conclusion:
Programmable Analog Module can be used to Simplify Analog Design and Reduce
Design time. PAM also Save Engineering costs and can be easily used to address design
issues. By using PAM, designers quickly modify circuits. Board revisions are replaced
with software changes, and capability can extend to customer.
References:
[1] http://www.rfidjournal.com/
[2] http://servenger.com/products/index.htm
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education
[3] http://anadigm.com/sup_downloadcenter.asp?tab=ad2
Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Northeast Section Annual Conference
University of Hartford
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Engineering Education